The effect of the drug didn’t wear off for more than three hours. When McKenzie awoke, she found herself lying on a strange bed in a pitch-black room, and not only did she feel as if she were still dreaming, her brain was a collection of incoherent thoughts. She tried desperately to piece together the puzzle but the only thing she knew for certain was that John—if that was even his real name—had drugged her. But why? She didn’t even want to think about the obvious, but couldn’t stop herself from taking a quick inventory. She didn’t feel any discomfort “down there,” but in her current state how could she be certain that her sensory signals told the whole story?

For most of her adult life, McKenzie had been careful—obsessively careful. Why had she let down her guard with John? Was it the money he had offered her? Was it his innocent charm? Back in college, three of her closest friends had been drugged with “roofies.” One got pregnant, one was a victim of a gang rape, and one ended up in therapy. Whatever he had planned for her, she feared the worst.

She tried to sit up but felt something tug on her wrists. It took a minute for her to realize that she was bound to the bed with something unidentifiable. She further discovered when she tried to bend her knees that her ankles were also tied to the bed. Her temples were throbbing unmercifully. She lay perfectly still and listened. But all she could hear was the tick-tock of a clock.

Her mouth felt as dry as sawdust, so she tried to produce enough saliva to speak, but the best she could do was generate a barely audible sound.

“John, are you here? Can you hear me?”

She could hardly hear her own words. How did she expect anyone else to hear them? All she could do was lie quietly and wait.

On her way to the airport, Sami felt first-date nervous. She and Al had been together for nearly two years, yet she still got goose bumps in anticipation of seeing him again. If “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” then she was living proof. She hoped that her nervousness was a good sign. After all, what was left when the sweaty palms and anxious stomach were replaced with ho-hum yawns?

She tried to time her arrival a few minutes after his plane landed, allowing some time for him to retrieve his luggage. Just ahead, she could see the lighted JetBlue sign where they had agreed to meet. Standing just below it, holding one suitcase in each hand, she spotted a familiar silhouette. Al dropped one of the suitcases and waved his arm like the president about to board Air Force One.

Unable to find a curbside spot, she double-parked next to a black Lincoln. Al left the luggage by the trunk and before she could even say hello, he wrapped his arms around her. It seemed as though it had been years since she felt the security of his firm hug. She didn’t want him to let go.

“How are you, stranger?” he said.

“I’m much better now.”

Al let go of Sami and lifted the suitcases into the trunk. She tried to help him but he grabbed her arm. “Not with that back of yours.”

They hopped in the car and headed for the exit toward Freeway 5.

They both started talking at the same time. “I guess we both have lots of questions,” Sami said. “You go first.”

“How’s your mom?”

“Coming along, stubborn as a mule. Fortunately, Emily seems to have more persuasive powers than I do.”

“Everything okay with Emily living there?”

“I hope she never leaves. She’s my savior.”

Al coughed into his hand. It seemed as though he were choosing his words carefully. “Any progress with the investigation?”

“Lots of cold trails. But we do have what I hope is an accurate composite sketch.”

“From an eye witness?”

“From the salesperson at Saks who sold the perp the cocktail dress we found Genevieve Foster wearing.”

“Robin Wescott, the gal I interviewed?”

“That’s the one.”

“But she told me she couldn’t help us with a sketch.”

“Apparently, the fog lifted.”

“I guess I should have pushed a little harder.”

“Maybe you were a little distracted.”

Al felt strongly that this was not the time or place for this conversation to take place. But Sami opened the door, so he had no choice but to tell her what he’d been struggling with. Waiting would only make it more agonizing. He reached over and laid his hand on top of her thigh. “You know that I love you, right, Sami?”

“I already don’t like the direction of this conversation.”

“Answer my question, please.”

“Up until this minute, yes, Al, I believed you loved me. But I have this eerie feeling you’re about to drop a bomb.”

“No, Sami, love has never been the problem. I was in love with you before you even knew I existed. Remember your first day with homicide, when Captain Davidson introduced us? I took one look at you and I knew you were the one. I’ve never felt anything like that in my life. It’s corny and sounds so Hollywood, but for me it was love at first sight.

“Then the more I got to know you, the more I learned about what made you tick, the greater my love. I guess I fell in ‘like’ with you too.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you don’t feel that way any longer?”

“Not at all, Sami. I love you with all my heart. But…”

“You’re walking on eggshells, Al. Just tell me what’s on your mind. Please.”

“I feel as though the fire is gone. It’s as if we’re two people who love each other but live separate lives under the same roof. There’s no time for romance. No time for intimacy. And no time for sex. I need more.”

“You don’t think I need more?” She put on the turn signal and merged onto the freeway. “Sometimes life gets in the way. I don’t mean for that to be an excuse, but maybe this is a good thing. Maybe this conversation can get us back on track. Maybe we should talk to a relationship counselor.”

He stared at the floor mats. “It’s not that simple.”

“I never said it would—”

“I slept with another woman.”

Sami wanted to pull off the highway, park on the shoulder, and puke. His confession completely blindsided her. She knew from the start that there would be rough spots along the way. They both brought baggage to this relationship. But she always felt that no matter what, they could work things out because love could leap over even the biggest hurdles. Never in her wildest dreams did she think he would…

Feeling that Brazilian women were among the most beautiful in the world, she tried to imagine what the other woman looked like. She guessed that she was a tall, thin, black-haired beauty with generous lips, ample breasts, and a cute little ass, unlike Sami’s, which at this particular moment felt the size of the Goodyear blimp. The images flashing through her mind replaced her speechless shock with intense anger. She felt so used. So betrayed. If she weren’t driving the car at seventy miles an hour, she could envision herself slapping him silly.

“Are you in love with her?”

His head snapped toward Sami. “Of course not. It was just sex.”

“Just sex? You say that so casually, as if all you did was hold her hand.”

“I was lonely and depressed,” Al said. “I would never do something like this under normal circumstances. It just happened.”

Oh, how his matter-of-fact attitude opened old wounds. Her deceased ex-husband, Tommy DiSalvo, always tried to make light of his sexual escapades by excusing them as “just sex.” When she had suggested she should have the same privilege, Tommy became enraged. Why was it okay for a guy to cheat, but if a woman did the same thing, she’d be a tramp?

“How many times did you fuck her? Was she a regular piece of ass?”

He didn’t answer right away, which spoke volumes.

“It happened only once,” Al said, his voice barely audible. “I swear.”

“Are you sure about that? Your word doesn’t mean much right now.”

She could see that his eyes were glazed over, and this made her even more enraged. Did he think for one minute that an emotional display would make it easier for her? “Where did you meet her?”

“She’s a nurse.”

“What’s her name?”

Al hesitated again.

“What’s her fucking name!”

“Sofia.”

“So while you were sitting by Aleta’s bed, so concerned about her welfare, you found the time to get it on with one of the nurses, right?”

“Sami, I’m sorry. What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to tell me why. What have I done to make you cheat on me?”

“I was vulnerable and weak. She was there and you weren’t. That’s all there is to it.”

For the rest of the ride home neither of them uttered a sound. Sami pulled in the driveway and the two of them sat quietly in the car. After several awkward minutes, she grabbed her purse from the back seat and opened the door.

“I can’t sleep in the same bed with you. And with Emily and my mother here—”

“I’ll stay at a hotel tonight. Can we talk tomorrow?”

“We’re going to have to deal with this thing one day at a time.” She pulled the trunk release and, without saying another word, headed for the front door.

Al ran to her and grabbed her shoulder.

“What?”

“I love you, Sami.”

“Love is not enough.”

Fortunately for Sami, everyone was sound asleep when she walked in the front door. She didn’t have it in her at the moment to explain why Al wasn’t with her. She guessed that no matter what she said, her mom would push the issue until she coughed up the truth. Her mom could extract top-secret information from the director of the CIA.

Sami doubted that she’d ever be able to fall asleep with so many disconcerting thoughts coming at her from all angles, so instead of going to bed and tossing and turning, she curled up on the sofa and turned on the TV. As she clicked through the channels, hoping to find a mindless movie to watch that didn’t require an ounce of brain power, she came upon a movie called The Ugly Truth. She’d seen this movie before. It was a romantic comedy with a basic premise that women are naïve when it comes to men, falsely believing that sensitive, caring men actually exist, when in reality, all men are pigs and the only thing they care about is getting laid. There are no White Knights in shining armor, only self-centered clods that let the little head think for the big head. At this point in time, this movie seemed like the perfect companion for a woman who felt that every man on the planet should have his balls cut off.

She stared at the screen and heard the words spoken by the actors, but nothing really registered. She loved Al more than she loved any man she’d ever met. But how could she ever forgive him?